I have been to Santa Fe a few times, it is a small town in the Southwest that is arguably the hub for the arts culture in this region. It is mildly tourist, not that trendy, and “enchanting”. Nearly every place you dine you feel like it’s a locals joint with the exception of the Plaza. Previous attempts to visit Cowgirl presented late night lines that are not my style. This time we did lunch AND dinner and no lines at all. Cowgirl has some history to it and the owner is no joke; hopefully you are lucky enough to have Barry sit down with and chat about Santa Fe, life and food as we did. One of the nicest guys ever and one savvy business man. Want to know more, go for a visit.

TIP: Santa Fe closes down early and Cowgirl is one of the few places to get late night drink or food. It’s worth waiting in line and not giving in to Sonic Drive-In for a fix.

Atmosphere: The pulse here at Cowgirl emanates from the walls, through the staff and into your food. Everything is AS ADVERTISED. If you can’t enjoy yourself here I have news for you; you’re dead! If it’s an evening there will probably be one party or event happening, you may get lucky and hear a local band. You could spend a solid 15-20min just checking out everything hanging on the walls, or people watch as you will see any and every type of person, and that’s one of the best things about Cowgirl.

Service: If you have seen a few of my posts I find it very hard to give a 5 in any category and in this case it was very close. Absolutely love the staff there. Interacted with Barry the owner on our second night, and the manager on the first. We only came back as I forgot my credit card. Everyone is well trained and on top of their game. It truly shows in the restaurant’s success.

Appearance: This will be the hardest part for me to cover. It is going to sound like I changed my tone, BUT I love the presentation on the platter and how the toppings were separated. Guacamole in a cup so I can put it aside, my favorite black olives, and black beans too. It really comes together well and when you look at the final platter photo you can see there was still enough balance to polish it off if I wanted. I’m going to say this method of layers worked fine as well, just don’t try it at home kids, this is for pros only

Taste: The chicken had exceptional flavor as did everything on the plate. Best of all the chips held up to the very end. Great job! I was creating combination after combination of loaded chips and every one tasted great. Now for a bit of truth. The name of these nachos made me think they would be spicy hot in some kind of way. They were not. The salsa was great but average hotness and the jalapeños tasted normal to me as well. The only way you would be disappointed with these nachos would be if you expected to have fire leaping off your tongue from the “Salsa Diablo”

NOTE: My wife and I did have a bit of beer and a few shots so the food tasted better and better as the night went off. But trust me, I’m being the hard nosed Nacho Hunter that I am for this review.

NOTE 2: There are so many items on the menu that are great. Ms Nacho Hunter had the BBQ Sampler and on the second night a standout was the “Cabeza de Ajo $8.00 a head of roasted garlic, in a plate of melted Jack cheese with tomatillo salsa and crostini slices”.

Value Given a few factors, the value is great. You are given a great atmosphere to eat in, great food and it’s not tourist pricing despite being close to the Plaza. They were not the largest but the quality was just so good it exceeded the portion, and that was really quite perfect. Would take these over the pizza platter I had in Los Cruses in a heartbeat.

NOTE: The value continues to areas like drinks and specials; they even have a loyalty program. Every business should do this in the tech age.

In general I am a very low key guy that loves dive bars and simple joints. I shy away from trendy Millennial oriented places (please no hate mail on the Millennial comment). But every now and then you find a place where folks from all walks of life mesh into a pleasant experience, This is High Desert. You will find older, younger, college, tourists, and more all enjoying great beer and food. And if you are there at the right time, some great music too. HDB has a reputation for the nachos so I had to make the trip and see for myself. One cool thing about Las Cruses is that everything is literally 20min away at the most so if you want to get drunk and cab home it’s no big deal.

TIP: Go in the evening and hear a local band. It amps up the experience two fold.

Atmosphere: Well the intro has set the stage, here are a few other details. There is a good sized outdoor seating if the weather is good. For the music lover you can sit right up there and chat about what song to play next. They get some quality bands too, check out https://www.facebook.com/Soulshine-81353780772/ Located in an out of the way place so only folks who want to eat and drink and have fun are there. When firing on all cylinders this place is an easy 8.

Service: Staff was great, fun and easy to engage. Checked on us several times and advice on ordering too. Gave a little history on the place and the band that was about to play. Just enough to go above and beyond. The staff if very easy to engage and fun.

Appearance: Yeah, this was an OMG! moment. I was talked down from the LARGE to the MEDIUM (I think) and I am very glad I did. Right next to us a group had the same platter and that was four of them. The size was amazing and being on a pizza platter is a plus. That said I did not get the try color chips as advertised and the beef was these funny pellets that did not excite me. Regardless this is something that makes you want to dig in and see how far you can get. Above average for sure.

Taste: So if you already looked at my score I gave these nachos an average. From the taste perspective there is nothing that stands out; except maybe the cheese as they had just the right amount. I would even go as far as saying that the chips hardly made an impression. Maybe they ran out of the trip color and this was the backup plan. I can give a pass on that; if that was the case. Everything was just good, not special in any way but absolutely not failing in any way either. That said, I would offer a better choice of meat. HDB also offers chili as a topping and I hard fast against chili on nachos but if you do; offer a better option like shaded beef or chicken and up the add-on price by a buck.

Value Ok, so I knocked the Taste a bit but the Value is still there. In fact I would suggest raising the price of the base offering by a buck each, there would still be value and each person would still need 2-3 beers to wash them down.

NOTE: On my next trip to HDB I will get ALL of the fried options, they sound sooooooo good.

A warm Spring day hanging out with my buddy Jesse finds us…. well at least me…. on a quest for nachos. Jesse indulges me and we happen upon El Guapo’s!!! There was no research, no expectations but there was good conversation & food. First impressions was a great place for drinking and probably attracts a younger crowd, but gazing around I found people off all walks o life. Not one person made a fuss that I was eating with a local TV personality. Jesse has worked on both coasts and won an Emmy or two as well so days like this area real pleasure. And I am famous in my own right being the world's foremost authority on NACHOS (ha ha ha ha).

Atmosphere: I really like this place. Outdoor eating always gets me and if I have to be inside I like that comfortable feeling and any uniqueness or quirkiness that can be extracted. El Guapo’s has an ample helping of each. Having a friendly staff helps too and Guapo’s has that too. Enough to be over the top, well no but well enough to make most of us very happy. Above average for sure.

Service: You know when you get to a place where the staff is well trained and actually like to be there. My experience was better than average for sure and I would say it is really hard to go over what is expected with a guy like me. The Bay area has high standards for service, not like NY but….. well you get the idea. This staff makes you want to come back and that’s a good thing.

Appearance: Let’s get the bad out of the way first. I expected a larger portion for the price I was paying. I would also say that nachos are always better when your eyes pop out of your head looking at “the mound” but this plate was far to flat. All that said, you can see the well played out arrangement of toppings. The colors were nice and there was clearly balance in what was served. Keep in mind that I don’t get guacamole and that would have added to the look, as would other toppings some folks like such as black olives or pickled onion.

Taste: So the carnitas had good flavor and the chips were better than average too Everything else basically as expected, with the cheese enough to tingle the taste buds. Very yummy and I would eat again but not anything special.

Value This is an area that could jump 2-3 points if the platter was a little bigger or if the price was a bit less. I will be the first to acknowledge that geographically this is one of the most expensive places in the US but you have to draw the line so

NOTE: Jesse commented that the food was very good and he would return. Another patron who had nachos (did not look the same as mine) said she came there once a month. I would also be a repeat customer.

I lived in Millbrae for several years and have been to The Green many times. Sexy dates with my wife, the guys downing beer, and even family outings. It’s the kind of pub that everyone wishes they had down the block instead of an Applebee’s Sassy waitresses, great beer, food that tastes just as good even if you are not drunk.

Dining tip: Have them put aside a loaf of authentic soda bread for you to take home. So worth the price.

Atmosphere: I hope I already set the stage. Pool table in the back, eat at the bar, kids welcome and FOOTBALL not Football. If you don’t like this place….. Then piss off!!!!!

Service: Some of the best staff in that City… say the County. But we are talking about today. The Green slipped a bit. I did make a few attempts to engage at the bar but it seems there were other priorities, even with only 4 other patrons.

Appearance: Sometimes it’s those simple things that make us happy. This is a great example of how to turn on a person’s senses. The vertical chips and the arranged onion give these nachos an edge. And as much as these look great, I still wish they were bigger.

NOTE: Consistency is not perfect either. See Video.

Taste: Well who would have thunk it? That delicious corned beef was perfect for nachos. And it didn’t even clash with the pickled onion. Chips are about as solid as you would want, a touch denser would add some crunch and longevity but not needed to make any mouth happy. Cheese well melted and everything balanced. I’ll say it again, Everything working in just the right proportions. One of the top guidelines to great nachos., these rock.

Value: You're in a bar and will probably being spending half the cost of these nachos on your first beer. That makes these a solid value. I did have a few chips left over so in a perfect world just a touch more cheese and beef would make this a great value, I just hate waste.

Yes, I know I said several times that chains would not be welcome here but after the encounter at The Cheesecake Factory i have decided to try a few of the better known chains and see who can actually make the cut. To date I have been to Applebee's and Cheesecake and both have stood up well, in fact Cheesecake still has some of the best chips ever and very special cheese sauce I love. I high bar to say the least.

SPECIAL NOTE: I did not see nachos right off the bat so I asked. They still offer the “Chili Nachos” but I hope you all know that is a sin. They also offer “Flatbread Nachos” and WTF is that, it ain’t nachos of sure. Then I am told that have “Off Menu” traditional nachos. YEAH!!!!!! So i order those with chicken and no Guacamole. Ok, so here is BJ’s. My note in the taste section really changes the complete dynamic in all areas but Service. Make note BJ’s.

Atmosphere: It’s big, loud at times but much nicer than some other chains. It leans more to the bar atmosphere and I like that. Let me also note that the beer really is good. If you wanted good beer and some regular bar food to accompany it this is a good place for sure. Most of the time I like to enjoy the warmth of the outdoor patio…. so I did. The place was empty except a guy and his dog. Another perk of the bay Area, dogs allowed almost anywhere.

Service: I have been to this location several times in all different manners eating various fare, and in general they have solid service even in groups of 20 or sitting at the bar solo. This time was no exception…… right up until my server went MIA. And it was at the end of my meal after she gave me the check. Having to go inside and see who to pay was a bummer.

Appearance: I was feeling good as this platter arrived. Full plate size, a nice mound, and color to boot. Enough for two people or more. Good score….. but not great. In my head I have a few touches I would add, but hey these are not my nachos it’s BJ’c.

Taste: I will say that every ingredient was fine separately even if the chicken was a tiny bit dry. And the chips were a bit salty. This a bar and they make money selling beer, so salty food is a given. What would have pulled it all together is a significant amount of melted cheese, easier to consume chicken chunks and an actual laying. And to be completely frank, that would probably make this experience a serious contender.

Value This this platter of nachos was exactly what most folks in this area would expect to pay at a chain restaurant. This factor would be much better if the nachos improved as suggested. For now a solid middle of the road.

Spent the day checking out the various neighborhoods of Denver and came across the trendy yet unpretentious area of Tennyson Street. All day any day this seems like a very cool area to be in. We were trying to compare it and came up with a cross between the bay Area’s Castro and The Mission yet no attitude. The time for nachos is when you are hungry and standing right in front of a Mexican restaurant. Clearly a locals place that dates back before the gentrification came and it was busy, so this must be a good place to eat.

TIP: Great tattoo parlor, art theater, and very walkable area.

Atmosphere: This looks like a fun place to be. There is a large outside area and you walk right into the kitchen area. The vibe in authentic, you feel welcome right away. This place could be dropping in the middle of Bfs Mission District and feel right at home. Good score.

Service: Service was as expected for the time of day. It was a little busy but nothing to complain about Food arrived hot and we were given advice on ordering etc. I was even walked to where the restrooms were.

NOTE: They were nice and clean.

Appearance: Well if you have seen a few of my reviews I have some high standards and I have my preferences too. Right off the bat I thought, these look nice, color etc. Then I went into “analysis mode” and say the lettuce, liquid oozing out and a general lack of chips. Flag going up. Appearances may be deceiving at first.

Taste: It is such a common let down when you have chips that taste great by themselves, beef well seasoned but an inordinate amount of moisture killing the whole experience. This is what happened here. The chips died off too fast I had to get extra chips to finish them off. My opinion is that the beef should have been drained, whole beans and maybe a tad less cheese and/or more chips to get a better balance. I’m giving these average as it would only take a slight adjustment to make them special.

Value I am going with an average value. The proportion was good but as I mentioned they fell apart to fast. fixing the items in Taste would add a point for sure. Eating nachos at Javier’s was in no way a bad experience but it did not wow in any particular area. I would think that if it was a Friday night and I had a few drinks the atmosphere would be better and so would downing those nachos. I hope to come back again one day under those conditions.

There are restaurants, taquerias, and there are cantinas. Ed’s is appropriately named so sure, it has that cozy feel, a touch of family owned and service that has just the right attention to detail. Mrs. Nacho Hunter and myself were on another road trip to Utah and Colorado when we stopped off in Estes Park for a day of hiking in the mountains. So what do you eat after that????? NACHOS! We always try to find the locals joints on these trips. It is a combination of online research and talking to locals to find the best places to dine or explore. Ed’s was the unanimous response in Estes. Please check them out and see if the Nacho Hunter tee shirt is on display. This is the first place I gave one away.

TIP: If you visit Estes in October the Elk have the annual Rut and hundreds of Elk roam the town. Absolutely amazing.

Atmosphere: As I mentioned, Ed’s has a true cantina feel and there are big windows with views of the mountains a nice bar area and patio seating if it’s not that cold out. I also like the privacy that the many booths offered. A blend of tourists and locals with a happy vibe emanating all about.

Service: I interacted with three people working there and everyone was on top of their game, nobody forgot us, favorite dishes were offered and we were checked on 3-4 times. This is a small tourist town so I am guessing that they know when you are not a local but you still feel like you are treated like one. That give Ed’s an above average score

Appearance: First off, I got the Bison and although chunks of steak are generally preferred, ground bison is a better way to serve as chunks can be more “chewy”. This is a small order for sure and not much of a mound. It does not cut it as a meal and could be a nice appetizer for two if you just wanted something to start. All that said, they did have a nice color and the sizzling platter is very cool. I would suggest a large size option for those that love nachos or have a party larger than two people. $14 would not be offensive. All in all the appearance makes you want more, I wanted to give more but sticking to my standards.

Taste: NOTE: Before I get on to the nachos I would like to say that my wife (who loves trout) had a fantastic grilled trout with black beans and corn. Very southwestern style and she said it was one of the best she ever had. Now the nachos.

Bison is awesome. Some who have never had any game may be a tad unsure of the taste and if you are not ready; you have other options. Chips flavorful and toppings fresh as well. Jalapeños were a tad hot for me but did not kill the plate, and I would appreciate a little more crunch to the chips, not they were bad in any way, just a preference. On that note they were perfectly matched for the salsa and I LOVED the salsa.

Value: As always you should take everything in context and in doing so these nachos were a good value at $7 for a small appetizer. You will see in the video that there were a few chips still on the plate and no toppings to cover them. For this I am just giving average value. You should be able to clean the place with a balance of ingredients. Ed’s is a very nice place and overall the experience is good as well as the food. Make sure you stop in for a local beer, nachos, or one of their other dishes. (we did come back another time and the experience was consistent)

Ok, so the title is really being nice. If you needed something just to keep you alive for another day, then sure eat what they call nachos. If you have read some of my reviews or seen a YouTube video then you know I try to find something redeeming about every nacho experience, gut in this case I for the life of me can’t see a damn thing. So how did I get here? For years I have driven down Laurel Street and kept saying, “when am I going to try this place”, and it looks cool, bet sitting on the patio with some nachos would be a nice experience. Well one day I had the time and was seriously hungry. I also had to keep in the area to see my wife later in the day.

Sooooo…….. From the moment I walked in everything started to go South. Let’s review:

Atmosphere: Nothing special and smaller than it looked from the street, but that’s never an indication. The patio is kinda nice but there is no view, only the main drag. When I think of a cantina there should be some kind of vibe if even kitchy or dive. Low score here.

Service: Yes I was acknowledged when I came in. A moment later I was asked what I wanted and did not feel any more welcome. Food arrived in short order, maybe less than 10min. Just placed on the table and walked away. Again a low score

Appearance: This is where the flags started really going off. The gods honest truth was this looks like something the dog rejected in the middle of the night. Again, I knocked down and said to myself, “looks can be deceiving”. Yeah right……NOT! No texture, no layers, no colorist nothing to excite you. I can’t even score these

Taste: The brain says “look at this mess” then the brain tells you “OMG it really does taste like a plate of vomit!!!!!” With all the liquid on the plate it is no wonder that the flavorless chips lasted more than one minute. All I really could taste was the beans and a touch of that red sauce. Just thinking of what they could potentially have in the back they could not even do some fresh salsa…. Nope! Just look at when they did offer for salsa?????

Value: If they had a sale at 50% off I would say save your money. If they were giving then away for free, I would still walk on.

Ok, so this is a little bit after the fact but The Hunter has been busy eating :) This past May 5th was punctuated by a great lunch with my best buddy Jesse G. I was early and he tends to run late so I felt I may as well start with the Monthly flight of Tequila. Cocina has an amazing selection and very knowledgable staff so I highly recommend this place just on that fact alone. The Hunter really tested them, and consumed a solid four shots and a beer. (ok so maybe not drunk, but well buzzed for sure). So let’s talk NACHOS!

SERVICE: Great service. The bartender offered a sip of a new bottle as we talked food options. The wait staff checked on me often and there was delivery without wait and everything hot off the grill. I don’t give 10s and 9s are hard to make but this was as close as it gets. 8.5 would be more like it.

AMBIENCE: Cocina sits in a retail, office and residential complex that popped up in the past few years. I would describe it as urban upscale techie as most folks work at Apple Yahoo and the like. It’s casual and friendly and I would even bring the kids…. if I liked kids. There is also limited outdoor seating, a plus.

APPEARANCE: If you have not seen or read prior reviews, I look for color, layers, portion size, and that something special, like trip-color chips. This is a great platter. It has great balance of everything. What would put it over the top would be a touch more in proportion and maybe a touch more sour cream….. if I have to be picky

TASTE: I asked for steak but the chef tossed carnitas on top. The waitress offered to remake but I love that just as much so no foul. Turned out to be a good call as the carnitas was excellent, great flavor, even some char. Really, this is a fantastic nacho platter with almost perfect balance. Standouts were those thick and crunch house chips and the meat. The one miss was that would have liked more cheese. The holy trinity is CHIPS CHEESE & MEAT.

VALUE: My platter of nachos was $4 less than then Jesse’s tacos so I give them better than average. What would up the rank would be more nachos or $1 lower in price for what I got. Again, I am one picky SOB

SPECIAL NOTE: If I could give some 1/2 points to the categories Cocina would have got a solid 37 -37.5 Congrats as it is, and that's not the tequila talking.

I have eaten at this establishment a few times. LuLu’s sits between a Deli / Coffee house and a Burger joint and a few small retail business just off Sand Hill Road. I was going to dad’s but wanted to eat first so I stopped in on a nice sunny weekday for a late lunch.

SERVICE: I stepped up to ask about the different sizes of nachos. The server asked if I was eating there or to go, described bean options and meat available This is how service can differ when you are in a location like Menlo Park. Food is also brought to your table unless you are just standing there so eager to get your food (LOL like me). Well above average by a good margin.

AMBIENCE: The Alameda de las Pulgas is a busy street so even with the outdoor seating it just falls a bit flat. Inside is clean and nice but just a step above Chipotle (sorry). I was just looking for one thing special to stand out and could not find it. Let me also note that this was the cleanest bathroom I have seen to date, that does get bonus points anywhere I dine.

APPEARANCE: The platter looked great, a solid layering and height with a very good balance of color. You know I love tricolor chips but that is asking for allot. nothing was over slopped on the toppings, Double thumbs up to LuLu’s

TASTE: Very good for sure. The standout was the chips followed by the carnitas, the two most important but they did not reach epic status. In all fairness, I’m hard to please and they are well above most of the places I have reviewed to date. In the end everything came together as a very satisfying platter, above average for sure. One note I would make is that the jalapeños were not hot at all, maybe up the quality there.

VALUE: Wow! I just don’t know about this one. There were very good nachos and the portion was very good for the LARGE size but $13.95 plus your drink is getting into Bill’s territory and I don’t think I can give that high a score. All that said, do note that we are in Menlo Park just off Sand Hill Road and Stanford just down the street too. This is rich folks land where homes average $2M and Bentleys and Lamborghinis are very common. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LuLusMexican